


5 Times Steve Rogers Was Hit and the 1 Time He Wished He Was

by dls



Series: We Were Young Once, Full of Violence (now you're silent, and I'm breathing the cold) [7]
Category: Captain America (Movies), Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: 5+1, Broken Team Dynamics, Civil War Team Iron Man, Confrontations, Gen, Post-Captain America: Civil War (Movie), Pro-Accords, Wakanda
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-13
Updated: 2017-02-13
Packaged: 2018-09-24 01:07:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,180
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9693131
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dls/pseuds/dls
Summary: The rogue Avengers finally reached their boiling point as unwelcomed questions and unwanted answers flew like fists. Steve Rogers had his share of hits growing up and as Captain America, though he had always tried his best to dodge them. The thought that he would wish to be punched never crossed his mind. Until now.





	

**Author's Note:**

> I had a rough time writing this installment. 
> 
> First, it was not fun to be in Steve's head. I tried to make Steve's reasoning understandable even if it might be downright repulsive, which was also not fun. 
> 
> Second, I couldn't decide what I wanted Team Cap to fight about - what would be their breaking point? Would these people _really_ care about Steve's treatment of Tony or The Accords? In [5 Questions the (rogue) Avengers Asked Themselves and the 1 Question an (actual) Avenger Asked Outloud](https://archiveofourown.org/works/9459251), Team Cap (minus Steve) expressed their doubts but most of them didn't get to that point until _their_ safety was threatened. So it made sense, to me and my sleep-deprived brain, that they would fight about Wanda. 
> 
> Third, I don't actually have a third point but I like things in threes so it's here as a filler. Hope you've enjoyed this and we're getting close to the end!
> 
> Beta-ed by [Arboreal](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Arboreal).

**One.**

The first time someone hit Steve, he was in the first grade. He didn't see the punch coming; part because he hadn't expected the other boy to escalate to violence so quickly and part because he had been too slow to move away.

Steve tasted warm copper as he found himself lying on the ground, his nose burning and eyes watering but hands held high to protect his face. He stayed down for a long time, the blood and tears drying and crusting on his face, pulling tight against his skin when he grimaced as he shifted into a seated position.

Staring down at his still open hands, Steve closed them one finger at a time until tight fists formed like rocks. Then he opened them, watching his hand reveal themselves as fingers unfurled like a blossoming flower. He repeated this strange exercise; opening and closing, releasing and tightening, defensive and offensive. Opposites. Mutually exclusive. One or the other.

There was a sharp difference between standing tall or staying down.

Steve was tired of lying on the ground and watching bigger and meaner and richer and smarter boys cast condescending glares from above. He was good and kind, his mother said so. The bullies attacked him because they were jealous of what he had, what they lacked. Bad people did not, should not, get to stand tall. Steve wanted knock them down. They weren't better than him just because they threw the first punch and ran away, like cowards, before the fight could be made fair.

 _"Did you have something against running away?"_  
_"You start running they'll never let you stop."_

When Bucky found him, Steve's hands were clenched into fists and they remained that way even as his friend pulled him to his feet. He felt a surge of gratefulness for his only friend. 

"Doing okay there?" Bucky's hand gripped Steve's arm, even though the smaller boy was standing relatively steadily on his own.

"Yeah." Steve grinned then scowled when it irritated his tender nose. "Thanks for having my back, Buck."

Bucky smiled, indulgent and exasperated. "The ground had your back, punk."

Steve laughed despite the throb in his face. Bucky was a good person and a true friend. Steve hoped he could repay Bucky for being there for him, somehow, someday.

First, though, Steve needed to get better at defending himself against bullies. He knew he wasn't strong enough to block a blow or fast enough to dodge a hit, so his only defense was to go on the offense.

_Steve needed to strike first._

 

**Two.**

Steve emerged from the painful and experimental procedure taller, stronger, and inarguably better; but a part of him still felt small, weak, and less than those around him. Those feelings, though negative, provided some semblance of comfort and grounded him in his new body.

After all the training in boot camp to push his body to and beyond its limits, [when for weeks he was told to do everything and anything as hard as he could, it seemed counter-intuitive that now Steve would need to learn control. Though he supposed it did make some sense for him to learn, or rather relearn, the way his body moved. His previous technique when confronting bullies had simply been to thrash around as wildly as possible before he was knocked out. Now, he could see the swings and kicks coming his way and dodge them with an unfamiliar ease. 

Having always been the smallest and weakest, Steve was both invigorated by and unused to his newfound strength and dexterity. During his first rehearsal as Captain America, Steve shattered the cheekbone of the unfortunate actor playing Hitler. After that, he listened to the director about miming his punches instead of merely pulling them.

Steve thirsted, hungered, and craved for battle. The need to prove himself coursed through him along with the serum, growing stronger with each show. He felt like a fake. The sensation was foreign and shameful because Steve had always been true to himself regardless of his size. It would be unpatriotic of him to say that he was too good for the job he had been given, but he knew he could do so much more.

With this conviction in mind, Steve did not hesitate to disobey his orders when he heard about Bucky's capture and presumed death. It was time for Steve to carve out his own path, with his shield and fists. It was time for Steve to pay the debt he owed to Bucky and prove that he was Captain America. 

The fight inside the HYDRA fortress was easier than Steve anticipated. Letting go of his control was the key to defeating the enemy forces. Instinct and determination fueled every throw, punch and kick. Every blow carried the full weight of his might and every strike ensured the recipient stayed down. It was exhilarating, the same soaring feeling as when he first tackled a bully.

Schmidt, or Red Skull as it was the more fitting moniker, jarred Steve out of his surefooted stance as Captain America. The shock of Red Skull's punch landing was greater than the impact of the actual attack. Steve had gotten used to landing the first punch and never needing a second to finish the job. Red Skull's resilience unnerved him, so did his words.

 _"In reality you are just afraid to admit that we have left humanity behind. Unlike you, I embrace it proudly. Without fear!"_  
_"Then how come you're running?"_

Those words haunted Steve, playing over and over in his head, until they became meaningless letters jumbled into a heavy weight in his stomach. He rescued captured soldiers and led them to freedom. He did not have a grotesque monster lurking beneath his skin. He did not run away, unlike the cowards and bullies he had encountered. They always revealed themselves in the end. 

_Steve stood at the peak of humanity, that wasn't the same as leaving it behind._

 

**Three.**

Waking up in the twenty-first century was kind of like involuntary time-travelling.  

Steve gazed at the screens, both excessively large and obscenely tiny, projecting multi-colored flashes with snappy dialogue. He marveled at the concept of an internet, a web of information that was everywhere yet nowhere at once. 

Technology and science had advanced at breakneck speeds, and Steve wondered if he was still the top soldier he had been. The taste in his mouth wasn't bitter, it was slightly sour and made him grimace at how he had been cheated out of keeping up with the world after he had saved it. When he learned there was no competition, Steve was relieved. He was still at the apex of human development. Erskine had chosen him for a reason. In this unknown yet also familiar world, he drew comfort from that fact.

Then he met two Norse gods and one human who fancied himself a god in quick succession.

Thor and Loki favored weapons instead of fists. Thor's magical hammer and Loki's glowing scepter reminded Steve unpleasantly of his childhood, when a bigger boy with fancy toys could inflict easy cruelty. Steve felt a sickening sort of pleasure when his attacks knocked them back, the sort of enjoyment a super soldier with absolute morals most likely should not have had.

But Howard's son stole the show and the credit of apprehending Loki when Steve had done most of the work. Tony also faced Thor and left the match relatively unscathed, protected by his gaudy suit of armor. It was another accessory, like Thor's hammer and Loki's scepter, meant to make smaller men appear more than who they truly were.

Steve knew better than anyone that it was not strength, sorcery, or skill that made men into heroes – it was what was in their hearts that counted. This was what differentiated Steve from the rest.

 _"You're a lab rat, Rogers. Everything special about you came out of a bottle!"_  
_"Put on the suit. Let's go a few rounds."_

Steve would have punched Tony, if not for his own impeccable self-control and sense of honor, both of which the other man lacked. He had been chosen because he was good, destined to become great. Steve still believed and was honored by Dr. Erskine's words. Captain America did not harm unarmed civilians, even if said person was brash, bombastic, and belligerent.

Later on, when Steve learned about Tony's consultant status, he was gleefully vindicated. Bullies did not get rewarded, not on Captain America's watch.

Tony's personality and Steve's opinion of it did not change – not after Tony flew the nuclear missile into the portal nor when The Avengers relocated to the Stark Tower. They were on the same side for the time being, but Steve knew their alliance was a temporary one from the start. Their differences were too fundamental to overcome with frivolity such as group meals, movie nights, or overblown gadgets. Tony would always flaunt his wealth, exaggerate his intellect, and over-inflate his contributions to the team. And Steve would never tolerate that kind of behavior.

_Steve knew, someday, he would be facing off against Iron Man._

 

**Four.**

Meeting, and heckling, Sam was a new experience for Steve.

Before the serum, he had always been on the receiving end of jeering remarks, and not one of them had been good-natured. After the serum, he had been thrust into the limelight and made into a caricature of himself and his beliefs.

The twenty-first century, despite its foreignness, was an improvement over the old days. Steve liked making first impressions with athletic prowess instead of asthma attacks. He liked his secure position as a soldier, a captain, instead of as a reject. He liked being Captain America instead of Steve Rogers.

The absence of Bucky was the only downside in the future, but Steve supposed it was the cost of finally having everything else he had wanted – health, power, and respect. It was unkind to say, let alone think, but Steve found the exchange  _acceptable_. Bucky represented a part of his past that Steve wanted to let rest. Steve missed his best friend dearly, but he did not miss who he had been – weak, frail, bullied. That version of Steve died with Bucky and only lived on in photo stills or edited footage.

When the Winter Soldier lost his mask, Steve was dazed by more than just the blunt force trauma from being punched by a cybernetic arm. Guilt spun his head and twisted his insides until he could no longer see straight.

Bucky was  _alive_  and had apparently became  _augmented_  as well. That awful taste was back in Steve's mouth again, resenting Bucky for stealing the spotlight and cheating with a mechanical limb. Steve was supposed to have, and keep, the upper hand. He finally got to be the protector instead of the protected. They were not supposed to be equals. Steve swallowed down the bitterness with burning shame, an unpleasant flavor.

No, it wasn't Bucky. It was the Winter Soldier. A product of HYDRA. The Winter Soldier was another Red Skull. Unworthy men given a gift they did not deserve. Steve was given the serum for a reason, because he was deemed worthy. Captain America stood tall for freedom, protected liberty, and was loyal beyond a doubt. He dismissed his brief moment of pettiness, probably a product of Tony's company, and focused on the situation at hand.

Steve and the Winter Soldier fought ruthlessly aboard the helicarrier. Bone crunching punches and screeching metal collisions filled the air. When Steve caught the moment of hesitation, of  _Bucky_ , in the Winter Soldier's eyes, he felt a surge of faith. It was that belief in Bucky's inherent goodness, a trait Steve had admired in their childhood, that made Steve loosen his fists and drop his shield into the river below.

 _"You're my mission!"_  
_"Then finish it. Because I'm with you 'til the end of the line."_

As Steve shivered on the banks of the Potomac River, he was warmed by the confirmation that he was right and that Bucky still existed. Steve had been able to call forth the loyalty Bucky still carried.

Their friendship prevailed over evil.

The Winter Soldier was no hero, but Bucky had the potential to be, with the proper help and guidance. Steve would protect Bucky, watch out for him, and be his moral compass. The sense of superiority Steve felt was likely another side effect of being near Tony so often. He should work to distance himself, and possibly the Avengers, from the increasing frazzled inventor the next time he was back at the Tower.

Bucky was not the Winter Solider.

_Steve believed that, he would help his friend and the world see that too._

 

**Five.**

Tony's attention-seeking behaviors had escalated dramatically, as evidenced by that disastrous interview and the subsequent disappearing stunt. Steve pushed ahead with extracting himself from Tony's life, surprised and relieved that his efforts were met with no resistance and even some sort of unspoken encouragement on the billionaire's part. The rest of the Avengers followed Steve's lead, as they should, but it was still gratifying to know that they trusted him. The only exception was Bruce, but Steve didn't truly consider him an Avenger given the origin of the Hulk and the easy camaraderie between him and Tony, so he didn't press the point.

It turned out Steve should have, because what was occupying Tony's time was Ultron with Bruce playing a vital role in its creation and activation, and Steve took responsibility for that due to his inaction to separate the two scientists.

A good leader knew where the fault lies, and the majority of it rest on Tony's shoulders.

They had parted on good terms, relatively speaking, with an understanding that Tony and Bruce would be erased from the Avengers roster – a good thing , then, that they were only penciled in anyway.

After Sokovia, Bruce had taken off, no doubt hiding in shame for his foolishness. Tony assisted with the clean-up efforts but otherwise kept to himself in that big, ugly tower of his. Steve deemed both forms of self-imposed punishments adequate. He wasn't cruel and while his former teammates needed to atone, they did not need to suffer.

Recruiting Wanda was a strategic choice, and thankfully the team had no objections. The Avengers needed a magic user and Wanda was a powerful witch with abilities that would compliment the team nicely.

Steve, well, Steve needed her for  _Bucky_.

Wanda had volunteered and worked for HYDRA. What she had done was despicable, but it also made her redemption much more powerful. If the Avengers and the world could accept Wanda's converted status from villain to hero, then they would undoubtedly do the same for Bucky, who had been an unwilling victim of HYDRA's cruelty. At first, Steve berated himself for this purely selfish motive, but he soon came to realize it was for the greater good. No one was harmed by Wanda's induction yet the benefits were innumerable.  
  
The Avengers operated seamlessly with the Compound as their new home. They were tracking and eliminating HYDRA bases with ease, though the same could not be said about locating Bucky.

Lagos caught them all off-guard,

They were still reeling from the accident and related damages when Tony ambushed them with the Accords. 

Steve knew that was the moment when Tony tipped from the morally gray area he inhibited into the pitch black of corruption. Government agendas disguised as oversight, Steve saw through the deception easily. When Tony lied about the Accords being the better outcome compared to whatever threat he hinted at, Steve knew it was time. The moment Steve had been vigilant of and preparing for since meeting Tony.

It was time to confront Iron Man. 

After all the antagonism, Tony's offer of help in Siberia was a welcomed, though suspicious, surprise. Steve felt a glimmer of hope that was dashed all too quickly when Tony spiraled out of control and attacked them with a sort of mindless brutality that Steve had no choice but to counter with precise aggression.

It was undoubtedly traumatic for Tony to witness the truth behind his parents' death, Steve could sympathize with that. However, it was clear that it wasn't Bucky who committed the murders. It was the Winter Soldier who wielded the metal hand that crushed Howard's face and choked the life out of Maria. Tony should have known that too. The facts were so blaringly clear.

Begrudgingly, Steve admitted that Tony was a decent fighter and lasted longer than expected when facing two super soldiers. Particularly when Iron Man landed a lucky hit that floored Steve for a brief moment and another that took off Bucky's cybernetic arm – which Steve secretly resented and was grateful to see gone.

 _"Stay down. Final warning."_  
_"I could do this all day."_

It had seemed dire for a brief moment, but victory would always belong to the just and the righteous.

Tony could have the shield as a reminder of his defeat.

Steve was Captain America with or without the shield, unlike Iron Man, and he believed in redemption for those who chose to pursue it. He only prayed that Tony would make the right choice eventually.

As Steve stumbled out of the nearly destroyed base, Bucky's arm thrown over his shoulders and offsetting the missing weight of his shield, he only had one regret.

_Steve should have done this sooner._

 

**One.**

Clint maintained his forceful hug longer than acceptable for a greeting but appropriate for comfort, which Natasha sensed was what he needed.

Steve approached Sam and Scott. Both men stayed seated in their respective spots and made no move to stand. "Where's Wanda?"

"In her room." Sam answered.

At the same moment, Scott bit out. "Gee, thanks for the concern."

Taken aback, Steve examined the other man, eyes searching for injuries then narrowing when he found none. Pain could raise a man's temper, but Scott's animosity seemed to be without cause. Under normal circumstances, Steve would be more understanding but their talk with T'Challa left him seething. It didn't help that Scott's tone reminded him sharply of Tony. Summoning the last of his patience, Steve ignored Scott's sarcastic comment and focused his attention on Sam. "Is she alright?"

"Really?" Scott interrupted again, surging to his feet so he could directly aim his vitriol at Steve's face. "Is  _she_  alright? I kind of figured you don't give a shit about me, but thanks for the confirmation."

Clint released Natasha with a grumble, whatever peace he had achieved when he reunited with his longtime friend vanishing as the hostility in the room surged. "Calm down, dude." 

"You're telling me to calm down when you've been ranting and raving like a lunatic for the past months?" Scott's fist and jaw clenched, prompting Clint to shift into a defensive stance. 

Natasha placed a hand on Clint's shoulder, a move of both obvious support and subtle restraint. "Seems like I've missed the party. Care to fill me in?" 

Scott fell back into the couch, his flailing elbow almost catching Sam in the face. "Your witch couldn't control her mojo and zapped me when I got too close. Best guess is that she couldn't handle the news of you being held in Wakanda." His eyes flicked over Natasha. "I'm guess they're more hospitable than the Raft." 

A smile curved her lips. "I'm fine, unharmed and treated kindly, as much as a trespasser deserves in one of the most secure countries in the world." 

"Well, that's good to hear at least." Scott grunted. "Don't know why you let her on the team since she's a  _magical ticking bomb_." 

"Don't talk about Wanda like that, she's just a kid. I know Sam is more than capable of handling these situations so you were in good hands." Steve frowned, then added almost as an afterthought. "You know I care about you, Scott. I wouldn't have gotten you out if I didn't." 

"Yeah well, I wish you'd just left me there." Scott muttered. 

Sam, who had previously been quietly observing the scene, spoke up. "Steve, as much as I appreciate your faith in me… I don't actually know how to handle these situations, as you put it. I don't even know what the situation is." He tried for a playful shrug, but it just looked tired. 

"Wanda's got a handle on it, you just have to talk her down, you know?" Steve explained. "You're good at talking to people, Sam." 

"Yeah, about that. Talking didn't really work. I just had to wait for the red lights to fizzle out." Sam said flatly. "Again, really flattered that you seem to think so highly of my  _talking ability_  but you did just leave me here with an unconscious guy I barely know and the person who knocked him out with  _magic_  or whatever. I pretty much thought she'd come after me next." 

"I didn't-" 

"Look, stop talking about Wanda like that. She's an Avenger and she won't hurt a teammate." Clint snapped, stepping forward to engage in the conversation and letting Natasha's hand slip off of his shoulder. 

"Oh, so are you saying I didn't get hurt or that I'm not a teammate?" Scott gave Clint the double middle fingers without looking. "Actually, I don't care." 

Natasha knew this was the moment to intervene before the situation escalated into something violent and uncontrollable. "Which is she, an Avenger or a child?" She asked in a calculatedly neutral tone, designed to throw her audience off-balance. "She can't be both, because we don't recruit child soldiers as far as I know. So which is she?" 

"Tasha?" Clint twisted his torso so he could look at his friend without altering his stance, which was still defensive. "What are you talking about?" 

"I'm playing catch-up here after being out of the loop." She scanned the four men in the center of the room from her spot near the door. "Just trying to clear some things up, starting with whether you boys consider Wanda Maximoff a child or an Avenger." 

Steve immediately answered, though he clearly only heard or comprehended the first part of what Natasha had said. "I'm so glad you've come. T'Challa shouldn't have imprisoned you like that, I'll have a word with him about this." 

"Steve, you didn't answer my question." Natasha kept her voice deceptively soft, any hint of her irritation hidden for now. 

"Did they do something to you, Tasha?" Clint eyed her with equal parts suspicion and concern. "You're not making sense." 

"She's making perfect sense, at least to me." Scott scowled, eyes still trained on the ceiling. "For the record, I want to know the answer too." 

"Same here." Sam rubbed a hand over his face. "If Wanda's an Avenger, then she needs to learn better control and be held accountable for attacking-" He held up a hand to stop any objections. "- _accidentally_  attacking a teammate. And if she's not, then why the hell is she even here with us in the first place?" 

"You just said it, it was an accident. Accidents happen, it's part of the job." Clint stated matter-of-factly. 

Scott lifted his head and glared. "And what happens after the accidents, huh? How do you make sure they don't happen again?" 

"Look, with this job," Steve made a placating gesture with his hands, which seemed to have the opposite effect. "We try to save everyone when we can, but sometimes accidents happen. If we can't push forward, then maybe no one can be saved next time." 

Sam stared at his friend, their  _leader_ , with uncomprehending horror in his eyes. "But what do we do when accidents happen, Steve? What do we do with something like what happened tonight? Or what about Lagos?" 

"Nothing." Steve shifted his weight. "It was an  _accident_." 

Scott stood and threw his hands up in the universal gesture of having-had-enough. "Are you serious? Are you fucking serious right now?" 

"Language." Steve corrected automatically. "Wanda didn't mean to hurt those people and she saved more than she, um, injured." He paused, the first sign of discomfort in his voice though it quickly faded. "What Tony did to her wasn't right. She didn't deserve to be locked up at the compound and she didn't deserve the Raft." 

"Stark breaks everything he touches." Clint nodded slowly and viciously. "He threw us in the Raft. He stole Cap's shield. And he shot off Barnes' arm." 

Scott rolled his eyes, walking toward his room. "Great, another one of your rants. I'm not staying for this." 

Sam made a half-hearted move to stop Scott, but did not follow through. "Barnes doing alright, Cap?" 

"Yeah, I think so, or I'd like to think so." Steve smiled, relieved at the change of topic. "I still don't know why he wanted to go back under, but he was pretty set and no one's more stubborn than Bucky." Fond nostalgia colored his words. 

"You don't know why he wanted to go under?" Natasha's eyebrow lifted disbelievingly. 

"No one here knows the trigger words, and he won't hurt anyone now that the arm HYDRA forced on him is gone." Steve spoke with absolute certainty, something obviously not shared by those around him. "Good riddance." 

"You're glad Tony shot off the arm?" Clint's shocked confusion was obvious. 

"No." Steve frowned. "But now that the arm is gone, Bucky's good, he's fine. He won't hurt anyone." 

"Yeah, no." Sam snorted. "Dude's still enhanced. I'm pretty sure he can squish me like a bug with his normal arm." 

"He has the serum in his system, he can do great damage even without the prosthetic." Natasha added flatly. "He strangled Maria Stark with his bare hand, after all." 

Clint and Sam flinched simultaneously. Steve became unnaturally still. 

"What the hell?" Sam shouted. 

"Steve, what's going on?" Clint asked. 

Steve sighed, weary and resigned yet indignant and righteous. "Look, I told you guys that Zemo set a trap and Tony fell for it, right? He showed us a video of the Winter Soldier killing Howard and Maria Stark, Tony saw it and sort of lost his mind. It wasn't Bucky who did that." He fixed Natasha with a stern glare. 

"Hold up, hold up." Sam sounded utterly fatigued. "When you said Tony fell for Zemo's trap, you meant he saw his parents murdered with the murderer standing in the same room?" 

"That's fucked up." Clint exclaimed. "Steve, tell me you see how that's so fucked up." 

"Look, I get that it's tough for Tony but he shouldn't have attacked us. It wasn't Bucky who killed his parents and he knew that. He was completely out of control." Steve shifted his shoulders back into a more intimidating pose. 

"Steve!" Sam punched the armrest forcefully. "Do you even hear yourself? No one can be rational after  _seeing their parents_   _murdered with the murderer in the room_. Are you even human?" 

Steve reared back as if Sam had struck him. "I haven't left my humanity behind." 

"What does that even mean?" Clint shouted. "What the hell is wrong with you?" 

Scott chose that moment to re-enter the room. He had changed out of the Ant Man suit and into a pair of jeans and a t-shirt. "Oh, I see the rant is still going strong." He moved to sit next to Sam on the couch. 

"Just shut up, alright." Sam snapped, knowing already he would regret what he was going to say but couldn't seem to stop it. "We don't need a felon's opinion for Avengers business." 

"Whoa, low blow." Scott shot Sam an angry and wounded look, pivoting to move closer to Natasha by the door of the suite. "Plus, it takes one to know one. We're all criminals here." 

Natasha met Steve's eyes, uncompromising and determined to finish their conversation. "I agree that Bucky wasn't in control of his own mind or body, but he did kill Maria Stark without his prosthetic. I've watched the footage at least a hundred times, it's practically burned into my brain." She grinned sardonically at Steve's horrified expression, no doubt realizing what else might have been recorded. "T'Challa ordered the Dora Milaje to search the base and retrieve any relevant evidence." 

"What footage?" Scott asked, curiosity tempered his anger for a brief moment. 

"None of your business." Clint growled. "Look, let's all agree that what happened in Siberia was not cool, but let's talk about it later, okay?" The look he shot Scott clearly meant that ‘later' was code for ‘when Scott leaves.' 

"Yes." Natasha agreed, her acquiescence almost shocking after the confrontational statements she had lobbed at Steve. "Let's get back to my first question. I never got an answer from you, Cap." She smirked, the affectionate nickname thrown like a knife. "Do you consider Wanda Maximoff an Avenger or a child?" 

No one noticed the shadow of a girl hovering in the hallway, her form almost obscured in the darkness except for the red light sparking erratically beneath her skin and within her eyes. 

Steve exhaled heavily, finally sensing Natasha held the upper hand in this conversation. "I don't know, Natasha. Is that what you wanted to hear? I just know that she's one of us and we have to look out for her." 

"Who's looking out for the rest of us?" Scott sneered. "She could go  _boom_  if she woke up on the wrong side of the bed, who knows!" 

Sam flinched. "Steve, you know we have to figure something out, right? She can't run around like this." 

"I'm not going to lock her up, Sam!" Steve declared vehemently. "That'd make us no better than Tony or Ross. We're all fighting for the same thing here, to stop the Accords so we can keep doing good in this world without governments using us for their own agendas. We can't turn on each other now." 

"We aren't doing much good here, hiding from the world." Sam sighed bitterly. 

"We're safe here." Steve argued. "I'll talk to Wanda, she'll-" 

"Safe, but not free." Wanda's shattered voice startled them. "I'll never be free." The sparks glowed menacingly and merged with each other to form a web of lightning pulsing outward around her body. "I'll never be free. This is another prison." 

Steve realized what was coming, taking stock of Wanda's obvious distress, her clenched fist, and her vicious glare. But he was powerless to stop her. 

Wanda leapt through the air, landing daintily in front of Steve, with Clint on her left, Sam on her right, and Natasha and Scott at her back. "I trusted you and you put me in another prison." She snarled. 

It all happened in an instant. 

Red energy exploded outward, roaring over everyone in its path with a careless cruelty of a natural disaster running its course. A tsunami crashing ashore. A tornado ravaging lands. An earthquake shifting mountains. An avalanche burying life. A wildfire consuming all in  _red_ , taking everything with greedy disregard and leaving nothing but cinders and wreckage behind. 

_Steve wished she had punched him instead._

**Author's Note:**

> [dls-ao3.tumblr.com](https://dls-ao3.tumblr.com/)


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